Hinata House Hopes
by turbomagnus
Summary: A collection of my Love Hina shorts, drabbles and snippets. Characters, situations and pairings may vary, but Keitaro/Motoko will likely feature frequently.
1. Where There's A Will, There's A Lantern

Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. Whether or not that goal can be reached, we'll see... This is The 365 Project, 27 February.

Sorry if today's project story is crap; one of my cats died today and it's got me in a bit of an emotional turmoil.

Disclaimer: I'm not Ken Akamatsu, I don't own Love Hina and the characters and locations are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes. Green Lantern is the property of DC Comics and is used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.

* * *

-o0O0o-

"Where There's A Will, There's A Lantern..."  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

-o0O0o-

* * *

Keitaro was flying though the air on another trip courtesy of Shinmeiryuu Airlines when it happened. He reached the apex of his flight and began to prepare himself for descent and impact when he found himself engulfed by a green glow and floating in mid-air.

"Okay," Keitaro looked down at the ground and blinked, "This is new."

Then he suddenly felt himself reliving every memory of his life replaying it as though looking for something that he didn't know what it was, some trace, some slightest hint of whatever the green glow was searching for in him. The green glow pulsed bright when the memories caught up to the moment.

'Urashima Keitaro, you have been chosen,' a disembodied voice announced.

As the glow began to move him through the air, Keitaro began stammering, "Wait, chosen for what? Why? How? Where are you taking me?"

-o0o-

When the green glow finally put him on the ground, Keitaro looked around and froze, his jaw dropping open at the sight before him.

"I'm sure I didn't leave Earth, but that looks like an alien spaceship crashed," Keitaro muttered, "That or one of Su's experiments got away again... but it doesn't look like a turtle, so I'm not sure..."

"Inside, Urashima Keitaro... Hurry... there is little time," a voice seemed to sound in Keitaro's head.

"Aah!" Keitaro clapped his hands over his eyes, "I'm being mind-read by space aliens!"

The green glow suddenly reappeared around Keitaro and picked him up, moving him towards a hole in the spaceship before putting him back down. Hazarding a look into the ship, Keitaro saw an occupant; almost human in appearance if not for the vibrant pink-purple tone of his skin, clad in a form-fitting green and black outfit, sitting, leaning against one of the walls as though it took all of his energy to do so.

"I am Abin Sur... I am not of Earth - but of a far distant planet - and I am... dying," he said slowly, forcing out each word despite immense pain.

Keitaro took a step forward into the ship and knelt down by Abin Sur, "What can I... How can I help?"

"It is... too late for me," Abin Sur gasped out, "No, there is... a more important matter."

"More important than your life?" Keitaro asked, unsure if he could believe anything could be that important.

"Yes..." Abin Sur reached over and pulled something close to him, "You see... this?"

"It looks like an old train lantern... but it's green.." Keitaro actually picked it up to look at it, then suddenly sat it down as he realised what he had done, "Ah! I'm sorry!"

"No, it is... right," Abin Sur told him, "As you say, a 'green lantern' in form... In fact, a Power Battery... given only to selected space-patrolmen in the super-galactic system... to be used as a weapon agaisnt forces of evil and injustice..."

Abin Sur was interrupted as pain wracked his body and caused him to fall to the floor. Keitaro moved to help him sit back up, but the alien waved him back.

"It is our duty... when disaster strikes..." Abin Sur managed to continue, "To pass on the Power Battery... to another who is fearless... and honest! Come closer to me, Urashima Keitaro..."

Keitaro moved closer and Abin Sur lifted his right hand, the green glow that had brought Keitaro there came from a ring on Abin Sur's hand and passed over him.

"Yes..." Abin Sur said, his strength fading, "By the green beam of my ring... I see that you are honest! And the Battery has already selected you as one born without fear! So you pass both tests, Urashima Keitaro..."

Shaking his head furiously, Keitaro argued, "I can't have! I'm not without fear - I'm terrified, I have people wanting to kill me just for being a guy and I'm always afraid they're gonna succeed..."

"But you have never allowed that to stop you; that is true courage, Urashima Keitaro," Abin Sur countered, stopping to cough up pink blood, "Only seconds left, I can feel it... so much to tell... Once you have the Battery, you will have power over everything - except what is yellow. There is a necessary impurity in the Battery, if it is removed the Battery loses its power! It is this impurity which will make you powerless over anything yellow."

"I..." Keitaro gulped, "I understand."

"Now take my ring... let me put it on you..." With his left hand, Abin Sur slid the ring off of his right and slid it onto Keitaro's own right hand when the young man held it out, "With this ring you will drain power from the Battery... effective for 24 hours..."

"Now... I've told you all... do not fail me..." Almost as though it were only the need to pass on his Power Battery and ring keeping him alive, as soon as he took his hand away from Keitaro's and was no longer touching the ring, Abin Sur died.

"Gone..." Keitaro whispered, "He's passed away."

He looked down at the ring he now wore, a look of dawning horror on his face, "I don't know how to be a space cop!"

-o0O0o-

Author's Note: I got this finished around eight-thirty, nine, plenty of time to post it in before midnight... but of course Fanfiction had to have another flippin' brain-fart and go down... and then it almost didn't come up in time for me to get this posted in time...


	2. House of Justice

Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental _multi-fandom_ project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. For more details, see the relevent section in my profile. This is The 365 Project, 25 March.

If there's similarities between this and my Ranma short 'Nerima Justice', well, that's because they were born of the same simple idea; what would happen if the Justice Field from the Red Dwarf episode "Justice" took effect in a couple animes where injustice seems to be the order of the day.

Disclaimer: I'm not Ken Akamatsu, I don't own Love Hina and the characters and locations are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes. The basic story idea is borrowed from an episode of "Red Dwarf", specifically Series 4's 'Justice'.

* * *

-o0O0o-

"House of Justice"  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

-o0O0o-

* * *

"Laws change, depending on who's making them. But Justice is Justice." - Odo, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'.

* * *

-o0o-

Buildings can absorb the energies of their occupants, creating echos of them long after they are gone. At times, all that energy absorbed can make a building seem alive, especially older buildings. Buildings filled with hostility and anger become hostile themselves, buildings where people are welcoming and friendly become warm and happy... and buildings that are in a single family for a long time, passed down from generation to generation, can seem to develop a loyalty to that family and even seem to take action whenever anyone else there would attempt to harm a family member. The Hinata House Inn was one such building and it was angry and disappointed; disappointed in how the family had simply abandoned one of their own and angry at the situation the abandoned one found themselves in. The House hurt, both from the pain that was being caused to part of its family and from the damage that was inflicted on itself without care by the same people that were hurting the family member. Finally, the spirits that existed in and empowered the Hinata House reached a point of decision; something would have to be done before the damage to both the House and the heir became to great to repair. It was time for justice to be done.

* * *

-o0o-

The first hint of the new order of things in and by the Hinata House came when Narusagawa Naru once again blatantly ignored the sign on the door of the House's hot springs proclaiming 'Out of Order: Manager Cleaning Hot Springs' and upon finding said manager, Urashima Keitaro, in the hot springs sought to assault him for 'peeking in the women's hot springs' - ignoring the fact that the sign clearly said he was cleaning them and that the only reason it was the 'women's hot springs' was because his grandmother had turned the family Inn into a Girls' Dormitory and hadn't bothered to tell her own family about it, yet she also had still insisted her grandson become the manager when he arrived and discovered that change by accident; an accident that Naru intended to repeat with a much more painful outcome for Keitaro this time.

Clenching both teeth and fist, Naru stormed up to Keitaro with a growl, intending to punch the 'no-good, worthless pervert' clean out of Hinata Springs. When that growl caused Keitaro to turn around and cringe in anticipation of a painful launch, the Hinata House intervened and even though Naru's fist hit Keitaro with full-force, she was the one who went flying. While she ended up slamming into a wall, she didn't go through it like she had intended for Keitaro since the Hinata House didn't want to damage itself and it also didn't feel it would be just to make Keitaro have to fix another hole made by Naru's actions.

* * *

-o0o-

In another part of the house, Tama, the resident flying hot springs turtle found herself once again under siege by a Molmolian with a mind for turtle soup for supper. In her own way, the airborne amphibian was as much a victim of injustice - having never done anything to deserve being the target of Koalla Su's dining desires - as Keitaro was and it was easy for the Hinata House to include her in its protection as well.

"Mecha-Tama Missiles, away!" Su shouted while riding aforementioned turtle-hunting mechanical turtle, causing it to launch turtle-seeking missiles that began to home in on the actual Tama.

Dodging this way and that, Tama tried to evade the missiles, but it wasn't enough and it seemed as though Su would finally have her turtle soup dinner after so long a denial. Not wanting to see the end come, Tama pulled her flippers and head inside her shell and waited for the explosion of the missile's final impact. When it came, Tama stuck her head out and looked around in confusion, only to see the human that was always hunting her sitting in a pile of scrap metal, blackened and smoking.

"Wowers!" Su exclaimed, "That was fun, can Su go again?"

* * *

-o0o-

Later that night, Motoko frowned as the words she had written on the page seemed to begin began glowing, not realising that two doors away and one floor down, Keitaro was watching in confusion as words he knew he wasn't writing appeared on the blank paper in front of him that was supposed to be for him to write a cram school essay on. That confusion was quickly joined by embarassment and disbelief as he began to read the words that were appearing...

* * *

-o0O0o-

Author's Note: I had considered other scenes for some characters, things like Haruka feeling the head-slap she gives Keitaro for calling her 'Aunt Haruka' and swallowing her cigarette; Sarah's favorite doll or something breaking instead of an artifact she tries to hit Keitaro with; and-slash-or Kitsune losing bet after bet when she tries to swindle money out of Keitaro, but I just couldn't seem to make them work, so I ended up dropping them altogether.


	3. Cashing Out

Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental _multi-fandom_ project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. For more details, see the relevent section in my profile. This is The 365 Project, 3 May.

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Clemens... "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."

Disclaimer: I'm not Ken Akamatsu, I don't own Love Hina and the characters and locations are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes. "Gargoyles" and all associated characters and situations belong to Disney and are also used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.

* * *

-o0O0o-

"Cashing Out"  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

-o0O0o-

* * *

They had called him a thousand different insults; among them vile, dishonorable, coward, yellow... He had found that the ancient Greek for 'Yellow' was Xanthos; it was hard to say, but he liked it. It inspired him...

Looking back at Japan over the stern of the boat, the man who had until recently been Urashima Keitaro smiled as though a thousand burdens had been lifted from his shoulders, the person he was once was now no more. Whether America was 'The Land of Opportunity' or just 'The Last, Best Hope for a Quick Buck' didn't really matter. It was half a world away with millions of people for him to get lost among until the time was right for him to be known again, a time when he would be able to deal with things on his own terms - not the Urashima's, not Tokyo University's, not anyone else's but his own.

-o0o-

* * *

Years later, Fox Xanatos looked over her husband's shoulder, "Looking over your assets, David?"

Xanatos - only his wife called him 'David', to everyone else he was 'Mr. Xanatos' or simply 'Xanatos' - shook his head before turning it to look up at her, "Looking over a liability, and I think it's time to let it be someone else's liability."

"Should I ask or should I want to keep plausible deniability?" Fox teased, knowing that her husband's respect for the law only went as far as he could buy it.

"It was supposed to be the family inn, but looking back I was never really part of the family or part of the inn - Even though legally I was listed as manager and owner of the property, in reality I was just the guy who fixed things and got abused whenever anyone needed an outlet," Xanatos explained.

"So you don't plan on going back and doing this yourself?" Fox asked.

Xanatos laughed, "Why should I? That's what I have lawyers on my payroll for."

"Maybe you do, but normally you prefer to handle things personally whenever possible," Fox pointed out, "If you don't believe me, look at that battlesuit you made so you could fight Goliath face-to-face."

"For all the differences between Goliath and myself. There's always been a certain amount of respect there as well," Xanatos answered solemnly before tapping the paper on the desk in front of him, "This place, there was never any respect there."

"Then why has it taken you this long to decide to get rid of it?"

"I don't know," his wife was probably the only person in whose presence Xanatos would ever freely admit to a lack of knowledge or understanding, much less what he was about to say, "Maybe part of me thought they were right... Maybe I used to dream of going back there and taking over the way I should have from the beginning... maybe it was just a convenient reminder of my past when I needed one. All I know is that whatever it was, I don't have a use for it anymore, I don't want it anymore, so I've already found a good set of buyers for it."

The red-head raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Who?"

Xanatos grinned, "The Japanese clan needed a place to expand. All things considered, I think one hundred yen 'and other considerations' was a fair price to ask."

Fox rolled her eyes, "Does Goliath know that you're involving yourself with the other surviving Gargoyle clans?"

"Since he hasn't broken down the door to confront me," Xanatos answered easily, "I'd have to say 'no'."

Shaking her head, Fox replied, "What am I going to do with you, David?"

-o0O0o-

* * *

Author's Note: Sequel? Though the idea of a fight with Fox versus Motoko and Naru is an interesting one... I'd have to say, 'Probably not'...


	4. WTWTL - Does Not A Lantern Make

Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental _multi-fandom_ project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. For more details, see the relevent section in my profile. This is The 365 Project, 8 May.

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Clemens... "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."

Disclaimer: I'm not Ken Akamatsu, I don't own Love Hina and the characters and locations are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes. Green Lantern is the property of DC Comics and is used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.

* * *

-o0O0o-

"Where There's A Will, There's A Lantern..."  
'A Power Ring Does Not A Lantern Make...'  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

-o0O0o-

* * *

For someone who had spent so much of his recent life unwillingly airborne, Urashima Keitaro found flying relaxing - especially now that he had a means to control his flights. It sometimes seemed like that his flights - willing or not - were the only things in his life that he had any control over; admission to Tokyo University was based on a test, the Hinata House was really under the control of the tenants since Granny had never left him with any way of enforcing the rules with them, and now he was supposed to be some kind of Space Police policeman except he had no idea how to do it, how to communicate with the people that his Power Ring and Battery originated from, or even how he was supposed to know when something was happening that he was supposed to deal with or how to do it.

When he was flying, he didn't have to worry about any of that; his biggest concern was not running into any planes or getting shot down by any militaries and it probably said something about Keitaro's life when those were barely worth worrying about. Flying gave him time to think, time to think about his life, about what he really wanted, about whether or not staying at the Hinata House would ever help him get it, even time to think about the big question of whether or not he really loved Narusagawa or whether - after being all-but abandoned by his family - what he really loved was actually just the idea of being in love and she was just an available person to focus on that - because of her own problems getting in the way of any real relationship - would never put him in a situation where he'd have to wonder if she loved him back.

Correction, there was one other worry when he was flying, Keitaro reminded himself as he caught himself falling and focused on his Power Ring and flight to keep in the air; self-doubt, fear, anything that weakened his confidence and willpower caused the Power Ring to weaken as well, which was dangerous when he was a couple thousand feet up above the ground and his thoughts drifted to things that were better left for when he was on the ground.


End file.
